Most plant managers in the region cite the concentrated transportation grid that serves Aiken and Edgefield Counties as a major reason for locating here.
Infrastructure

Airports

 With an emphasis on business and private travel, located just a few minutes from Aiken’s county center, the Aiken Municipal Airport serves the region’s general aviation and corporate flight needs with 3,800 and 5,000-foot runways. The Trenton Municipal Airport, located in Edgefield County, has one 3,600-foot runway.

The Augusta Regional Airport, only 30 minutes from Aiken, offers nonstop service to Atlanta and Charlotte through Delta Connections and U.S. Airways Express.

Passengers  2003  2004  2005  2006 
Enplane  162,946  170,358  161,162  140,987 
Deplane  158,716  166,381  153,880  134,736 
Total  321,662  336,739  315,042  275,723 
Cargo (lbs)  2003  2004  2005  2006 
Enplane  197,153  172,838  13,136   
Deplane 460,962 356,218 32,180
Total 658,115 529,056 45,316

*Delta wide-belly planes are no longer servicing Augusta; data is not reported for some months.

Columbia Metropolitan Airport, less than one hour away from Aiken and Edgefield, serves the southeast regional hub for UPS and provides commercial airline service to Dallas, Cincinnati, Orlando, Atlanta, LaGuardia, Houston, Newark, Detroit, Memphis, Washington Dulles, Washington National Chicago, Charlotte, and Philadelphia. Columbia carriers include Continental, Delta, American Eagle, Northwest, United and U.S. Airways.

Columbia Metropolitan Airport also offers regional businesses a foreign trade zone, located conveniently on a 108-acre tract within the complex, which allows manufacturers to purchase imported machinery, raw materials, and supplies at duty-free or reduced-duty rates. Merchandisers who import into foreign trade zones are only required to pay one merchandise-processing fee per week, which reduces costs to those who would otherwise have to file multiple fees.

Passengers 2003  2004  2005  2006 
Enplane  506,366  634,105  732,625  642,848 
Deplane  498,314  613,757  730,308  646,819 
Total  1,004,680  1,247,862  1,462,933  1,289,667 
Cargo (tons)  2003  2004  2005  2006 
Enplane  59,288  61,906  62,813  58,044 
Deplane 67,480 67,477 62,813 59,919
Total 126,768 129,383 124,581 119,963

General Aviation

Aiken Municipal Airport  5,500' and 3,800' 
Trenton Municipal Airport  4,310' runway 

Motor Freight Transportation

40 truck lines serve the area.

 

 

 

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